Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-04-13
THE GREAT NAPOLEON.


Corsican Ctesar ON n Battle-Fl Id.
Major General Yakovitch, of the
Russian army, is one of the few mon
now living who saw the great Napoleon
on battlefield. Tho old,Gcneral saw
the French Emperor at Borodino. Az
that battle Yakovitch, then a mere
boy, served with battery in the grand
redoubt which was the center of the
Russian line. He gives vivid descrip-
ton of the battle. When morning
broke sea of gray mist shut out the
field from view. The voices of the
enemy we're heard, the neighing of
their horses and the rumbling OF
artillery wheels. Then came the
thunder of cannon, making the very
earth tremble. Three times all the
Russian gunners were killed, and three
times new men took their places. Bull
lets few thick as hail and men drop
ped dead or mangled every moment.
At last strange sound was heard in
the distance, ike rain pattering on
withered leaves. 1t grew louder and
louder until it filed the air like the
roar of stormy sea. All at once a
great wave of bright swords and he'll
NETS and horses heads came surging
up over the brcastworks. 1t was the
Imperial Guard. Before the shock OF
that mighty wave the Russian center
crumbled away, shattered wreck.
When Yakovitch came to his senses and
opened his eyes he saw around him the
corpses of his father and comrades.
Suddenly the tramping Of hoofs called
his attention to group of gaily-
dressed officers, and Napoleon's staff
came riding over the field. The young
Russian peered anxiously into theft
faces. In his graphic language he
thus describes them:
There were the hard faces of Rapp
and Darn, and broad -chested Sebas.
tian, and Nansouty, with the sabre.
scar across his cheek, and the low.
broad forehead and bulldog jaw OF
grim old Ney, the bravcst of them all.
There, too, was Murat, with his white
plumes and his braided jacket, his long,
dark curls hanging down his neck and
his riding-whip in his hand, just like a
circus-ridcr. And then the group
parted Suddenly and there was the man
himself in the midst of them, with his
face hard and immovable as marble
amid all that blood and agony, and
far-away look in those cold gray eyes
of his, as if he saw Moscow somewhere
up in the sky, but could sec nothing
between.
"a glorious vic;ory!' cried Murat.
waving his hand. What a stir there'll
be among the good folks of Paris whom
tho bulletin arrivesr
.s.We've lost half our army In doing
IL. though growled Ney. Hadn't we
better fall back little and wait for the
reinforcements?
Then Napoleon turned his head
slowly, just as statue might do, and
looking him full in the face said:
"'Thou advising retreat. Michele
That is something new, indeed! Mol
no falling back now! must date
my bulletin from Moscow. A for the
army, you can't mako an omolet with
out breaking few eggs.
"Yakovitch says that when he heard
this he knew that Napolcon's day was
past, for no man save one doomed to
destruction could have spoken so light
" If the slaughter of thousands Of
brave men. In three months from
that day the French Emperor was fly
ing for his life across the border, with
the Cossacks at his heels like hungry
wolves. "--Foreign Exchange
An En0l;eh w;0-makor has In